Hall Says Plan for 99c Grad Dinners Would Be Unethical

Vice-Dean Livingston Hall declared yesterday that the University was charging students one dollar plus five cents tax per dinner instead of 99 cents and no tax per dinner because it tell the latter charge would be unethical and unpolitic.

Under Massachusetts law a 99 cent meal is tax free but a dollar meal is taxable. Hall said that while the 99 cent charge would be legal, the University's tax situation was one of "give and take." The dollar meal was a case where it had to give.

He made the explanation about the meal price hike in an hour speech to one of his classes and in a statement to the Law School Record.

His statement followed complaints from a substantial number of graduate students that the new meal prices unduly burdened transient diners. Students felt that breakfast and lunch prices should be raised more to avoid the tax on a dollar dinner.

Hall pointed out that schemes to avoid the tax by keeping dinner at 95 cents and increasing lunch five cents more instead, would not work since the transient lunch trade would be reduced. The University, he added, must charge more for supper to break even on that meal.

Med School Complaints

Reginald Fitz '06, assistant dean of the Medical School, said yesterday that complaints had been received about the board like but that medical students were satisfied after hearing a full explanation of the boost.

The volume of meals served in the Graduate Center dining hall has gradually decreased, while food prices have steadily increased, according to Hall. He said that the new raise was the best solution to the problem, short of compelling everyone to sign on. But this method, be feels, would restrict student freedom and should be used only if there is no other way to keep Harkness open.

Last week, two students were suspended from the Law School for one month because they asked to terminate their board on the basis that they were missing nine meals a week. Hall checked their statements and found that they were actually missing three meals per week.

Hall revealed that the Graduate Center dining hall would clamp down on students reneging on board and on those who give their identification tickets to non-signed-on friends when not eating in Harkness themselves.